Direct Eastbourne to London train to be reinstated
A direct train connecting Eastbourne to London which had been discontinued since 2020 is set to be brought back.
The service running from Eastbourne to London Bridge, which was withdrawn in 2020 following the reduction in usage during the pandemic, is now due to be restored on December 15.
The town had only had a previous direct service to the capital via London Victoria.
The new service between Eastbourne and London Bridge, will operate Monday to Thursday and will depart Eastbourne at 6.48am, arriving into London Bridge at 8.25am.
The return service will depart London Bridge at 5.03pm and arrive back into Eastbourne at 6.34pm.
The announcement made by Thameslink alongside Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, who after campaigning for the route to be reinstated, said that the news was a ‘huge victory for the town’.
In a statement celebrating the news, Josh Babarinde said: “After months of campaigning including writing to rail bosses, pressing Ministers in the House of Commons, and gathering thousands of signatures from Eastbournians, I’m delighted that we’ve managed to restore our direct London Bridge rail service.
“I want to thank the operator, GTR, for heeding our calls; the Chamber of Commerce and Dave Cooper MBE for their support and the people of Eastbourne for signing my petition, who I hope this service will have a positive impact on.
“This is a huge victory for our town. I look forward to seeing commuters on 15th December for the first journey up to London Bridge.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway that runs Southern services from Eastbourne, said: “We are delighted to confirm that from December, when timetables next change, we will be able to bring back a direct rail link between Eastbourne, Lewes and London Bridge as we know this is something customers have been calling for.
“There will be one service to London Bridge in the morning with a return service to bring people home in the evening, making commutes to London Bridge and the City much easier.
“The pandemic had a devastating impact on everyone, not least the rail industry, and our weekday commuter numbers are still reduced but recovering.
“We’re doing everything we can to encourage people back to rail, which is the most sustainable form of public transport. The innovative new timetable we introduced along the east coastway two years ago did just that, boosting passenger numbers by giving people better services and easier connections.
“We think this timetable improvement will build on that success and are pleased to have worked with local stakeholders to make the case for its introduction.”